Story ID: 
Helicopter Features Added to Garmin Pilot iOS
By: Chad Trautvetter
Caption: New features includes helicopter route charts and identification/documentation of the highest obstacles along flight paths.
Word Count: 273
Garmin introduced a new version of Garmin Pilot for iOS this week at Heli-Expo 2015 that adds features tailored to helicopter operators, including helicopter route charts in eight U.S. metropolitan areas and the Gulf of Mexico. With the new update, Garmin Pilot allows pilots to identify and document the highest obstacle along their flight plan route, meeting FAA Part 135 helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) requirements.

The helicopter route charts provides detailed information applicable to the unique operations carried out by these operators. These three-color charts depict helicopter airways and routes, heliports with associated frequency and lighting capabilities, navaid information and obstructions, as well as pictorial symbols, roads and geographical features.

Garmin Pilot’s VFR and IFR helicopter route charts cover Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles and New York metropolitan areas. Coverage for the Gulf of Mexico is also available, which includes offshore oil drilling platforms.

The app also now helps helicopter air-ambulance operators meet FAR 135.615 rules that requires pilots to identify and document the highest obstacle along a planned route. When entering a departure and destination airport pair, Garmin Pilot identifies the highest obstacle along the route of flight in both mean sea and above ground levels within the “flight plan” page and notates the obstacle graphically on the moving map page.

The latest version of Garmin Pilot for iOS is available as a free update. Additionally, support for helicopter route charts is expected to become available for the aera 795/796 next month. For new customers, Garmin Pilot is available in the Apple App Store as a free 30-day trial.